These lemon oatmeal crinkle cookies are a soft and chewy oatmeal cookie with a zest of lemon and a sweet powdered sugar crinkle coating.
Crinkle Cookies
A crinkle cookie, like lemon oatmeal crinkle cookies, get their characteristic crinkle top from the dough spreading and “crinkling” as it bakes. The terms crinkle and crackle cookies are used interchangeably. When you think of a crinkle cookie, you probably think of the classic chocolate version that are popular at Christmastime. The history of crinkle or crackle cookies is hard to pinpoint. I did not find any recipes for crinkle or crackle cookies in any of my 1950’s and 60’s cookbooks and finally found some crinkle cookie recipes in cookbooks from the 1970’s. By the 80’s and 90’s, crinkle cookies were a staple in many cookbooks.
About this Recipe
These lemon oatmeal crinkle cookies are a different flavor from the most popular chocolate variety, but these chewy cookies still have the characteristic powdered sugar coating that “crinkles” as it bakes. They also have a refreshing lemon flavor from the lemon zest, juice and extract. I always like making these cookies in the spring and summer months.
This variation is adapted from a recipe my Mom used to make a lot when I was a kid. She originally got the recipe from an old Amish cookbook. There are several Amish settlements in our state and Amish cookbooks are easy to come by. They are usually full of great recipes like these cookies – the only problem is the recipes usually yield large numbers. Even though this recipe is scaled down, it still makes around 8 dozen. Luckily, these cookies freeze really well, see tips below on storage.
Tips for Lemon Oatmeal Crinkle Cookies
- Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.
- Freeze for 4-6 weeks in an airtight container.
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Lemon Oatmeal Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- mixing bowls of various sizes
- small cookie scoop
- cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone baking mat
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter
- 3 cups brown sugar, packed
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 4 cups old-fashioned oats
- granulated sugar, for rolling
- powdered sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Sift or whisk 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt in mixing bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, cream 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter and 3 cups brown sugar, packed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add in 3 large eggs, beaten, zest of 1/2 lemon and 1 tsp lemon juice.
- Slowly add in sifted dry ingredients, in three different additions. Fold in 4 cups old-fashioned oats.
- Chill dough for minimum of 1 hour.
- Using a small cookie scoop, scoop dough and roll into uniform balls of dough. Roll each ball of dough in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheet (granulated sugar, for rolling and powdered sugar, for rolling can be placed in small, shallow bowls).
- Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes, or until cookies have a crackled appearance and centers are set.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container up to 3 days.
- Freeze for 4-6 weeks in an airtight container.